The Winnipeg Jets probably knew this already but if Ryan Kesler’s contract extension is any indication, a new contract from captain Andrew Ladd won’t come cheap.
Kesler signed a six-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday with an average annual value of over $6.8-million dollars, coming at a time the Jets are looking to re-up their captain who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. In terms of traditional stats, both players compare relatively well, 50-60 point players who are fairly durable for their clubs (excluding Kesler’s outlier in 2012-13).
Kesler is a year and a half older than Ladd, so if Anaheim is willing to give their veteran forward a six-year deal, it’s a good bet that Ladd and his agent will be asking for at least that long of term from the Winnipeg Jets. Although it appears that Kevin Cheveldayoff and his management staff like to shy away from long-term deals to veteran players (see Stafford, Drew among others), they could be in an unavoidable position with their captain.
Using Kesler’s deal as a baseline and the fact that the Jets have been very loyal to Ladd, it would not surprise me to see something incredibly similar to what Kesler received. And while it might strike some as an overpayment, there are examples around the league that show maybe it wouldn’t be. Jason Spezza, a bit better offensively but who is older and has a history of back problems (although he’s been pretty healthy the last three years), signed a four year deal worth $7.5-million AAV at the age of 31 with Dallas last season. Another comparable might be Tampa Bay winger Ryan Callahan, who signed a six year deal worth $5,800,000 AAV at the age of 29 last season.
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Comparing extensions to be carbon copies is troublesome because situations are never the same and neither are players. However, it does give us a good idea of what ballpark a deal could be in. Looking around the league and at the Kesler deal today, I would guess Ladd is probably looking at a six year contract in the neighbourhood of $6,500,000 AAV.
And you know what, I’m okay with that. Could that turn into a rough contract towards the end? The possibility always exists. But Ladd is a durable forward, the franchise’s captain and on quite a few nights, the heart of Jets.